How To DIY a String Light Headboard

If you're like me, your Christmas gear — the tinsel wreath, fake tree and way too many lights — is still floating around the apartment and still hasn't quite made its way into 2013 storage hibernation. To put off the chore indefinitely, re-use your holiday lights in the bedroom with this home-y optical headboard idea.

Dutch magazine 101 Woonideeen's website features this photo of a unique bedroom idea. Mount a string of lights to the wall above your bed as a visual (and bright!) alternative to a headboard.

After tracing your design on the wall with masking or painters' tape, use cord clips (like these) to fasten a string of LED lights (or any other lights) along the tape outline. Remove the tape and voila! Fake headboard! You can read the full DIY instructions on 101 Woonideen's website (translation here).

The outline of a headboard — in this case, one shaped like a gabled roof and chimney — is enough to frame the bed visually. And as a bonus, a string light headboard can double as a nightlight if you like to read or knit before bed.

It's not the first time we've seen string lights in the bedroom (although this is the quirkiest idea yet). Is this a trend on the rise? Or just a post-college dorm-room-chic phase? Weigh in with a comment below.